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Written by the Rev. Virginia Kreyer Cannot we, persons with disabilities, nondisabilities, people of color, and persons from different cultures, compare our lives to a patchwork quilt? Invocation Leader: Spirit of God, come among us. Open our hearts to know your transforming presence in our lives. People: Come, Holy Spirit. Leader: Spirit of God, come among us. Brood over us that we may be filled with your love. People: Come, Holy Spirit. Leader: Spirit of God, come among us. Breathe into us your restlessness and courage that we may trust your promise of newness in our lives, in the church, and in the world. People: Come, Holy Spirit, renew they whole creation. Amen. 1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-27 MY GRANDMOTHER'S AND great-grandmother's generation made patchwork quilts. My mother's and my generation rarely, if ever, engaged in this wonderful art form. Within the last decade or two, purchasing and making patchwork quilts has been revived. A good friend suggested that the imagery of a patchwork quilt might be a basis for this essay. I was thinking about the suggestion when, a few days later, a young woman pastor told a group of us attending a workshop that making patchwork quilts was one of her favorite hobbies. The apostle Paul, writing his first letter to the church at Corinth, said, "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.... Indeed the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, `Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. . . . If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?" (1 Cor.12:12, 14-15,17a). In other words, all of us are different. Before following our biblical theme further, let's look at the patchwork-quilt analogy a little more closely. A quilt is made of many different pieces of material, different colors, and often, different textures. The one who is making the quilt decides how the quilt should be designed and stitched together by a common thread. Once I heard of two women, living in different parts of our country, who made most of their daughter's dresses from the time the girls were infants until they reached young adulthood. Both women saved pieces of material from each dress they made. They have decided to make a patchwork quilt for their daughters, using the pieces of material from the dresses. One piece may remind one of the first day of school, while another piece may have brought back happy and sacred memories of confirmation day. No two pieces were exactly alike, but they have been stitched together by a parent's love. Cannot we, persons with disabilities, nondisabilities, people of color, and persons from different cultures, compare our lives to a patchwork quilt? Each one of us is a unique human being. No two of us are exactly alike. For instance, no two people have the same fingerprints. And we all have abilities and disabilities. Some people's disabilities are very visible, while other people have invisible disabilities that we may never know about unless we are told. These may be mental, emotional, or physical. Each one of us has strengths of one form or another that we need to put to use for our own fulfillment, for the good of others, and to the glory of God. As Christians, Jesus Christ brings us together, just as a quilter brings pieces of a quilt together. In recent years, we in the church have come to realize the value of telling and hearing autobiographical stories, as a way of witnessing to our faith. Each story is different because we, each, are unique individuals . . . no two of us face exactly the same situation or have the same experiences. Yet, as we look back on our lives, most of us can recognize the presence of God at various moments or times. We realize later, even if we are unaware of it at the time, that God has been with us. Just as the maker of a patchwork quilt draws the various pieces of material together with thread, so does God, revealed to us in Christ and known to us today through the power of the Holy Spirit, draws Christians together. I am not trying to imply that life for any one of us is easy. Life for some people is much more difficult than for others. Some individuals who are members of minority groups, such as persons who have physical disabilities, people who are mentally impaired, people who are emotionally disturbed, or people who are African Americans or any other minority group, still are discriminated against. Our world is so full of violence, hatred, injustice, and war that even when I know that persons with disabilities and other minority groups have been shamefully treated, and still are not always given a fair opportunity, we must be grateful that many, many more people are far more accepting of persons with disabilities than they were a hundred, fifty, or even twenty years ago! Societies, in general, and denominations, in particular, have been working since the late 1970s to remove architectural and attitudinal barriers. We finally have come to understand that we cannot be an inclusive church unless all people, regardless of their disability, color of their skin, or national origin, are welcome in Christ's Church. Some people will continue to exhibit anger or hostility toward anyone who is different, be they persons who are mentally impaired, mentally ill, or have physical disabilities or are members of any other minority group. The recipient of such hostility finds this to be very painful. It hurts! We need to remember, however, that such behavior stems from the fear of the nondisabled or nonminority individual that they, too, could have been born into a minority group or could have been born with a disability or could become disabled. This fear often is on a subconscious or unconscious level. Our calling is to help such a person or persons, if possible, acknowledge their fear. Only as an individual does, can he or she admit their fear and change their attitude and, thus, their behavior. In conclusion, let us: 1. Be thankful that society, in general, and the church, in particular, has begun to recognize that all individuals are precious, and must be allowed and helped to discover and use their God-given gifts. 2. Let us give thanks for our individual uniqueness and for Christ who binds Christians together as different pieces of cloth are brought together to make a quilt. 3. And finally, may each one of us, whatever our station in life, be granted strength to use our gifts and our abilities for the glory of God, remembering the words of Jesus who said, "Lo, I am with you always." 4. How can you encourage more persons with disabilities to become part of the congregation? Reflection Questions 1. How do you feel when you meet a person with a disability? 2. Is your church accessible? If not, how can it be made accessible? 3. Are there people in your congregation who are disabled? Are they welcome? Hymn possibilities "Spirit Of Love" 58 TNCH "Called As Partners In Christ's Service" 495 TNCH "In Christ There Is No East or West" 394 TNCH "Blessed Be the Tie That Binds" 393 TNCH Women's Mosaic Series 2002 Margaret (Peg) Slater, Editor

With delight, the United Church of Christ Disabilities Ministries received word yesterday that the Reverend Virginia Kreyer will be awarded high recognition as an ordained woman in the denomination. With equal delight, the spirited foremother of the UCC DM responded in a late afternoon phone visit, "I'm coming. Tell them I am coming to Synod." "Virginia’s pioneering and trailblazing ministry must be seen within the context of her being born with cerebral palsy, which was manifested in her motor skills and severe speech difficulties," said Gay McCormick, UCC DM representative to the Office of General Ministry. "In addition to beginning the UCC DM, Virginia is a role model and a prophet," McCormick said. "To know the importance of her qualities it is necessary to understand that she required years of physical and occupational therapy as well as extensive speech therapy, and, that as a child, she was perceived as mentally retarded because of her speech." Virginia's mother was pivotal in how Virginia became who she is. She never allowed her daughter to use her disability as an excuse. Believing that a disability is not something you hide, she imbued Virginia with her quality of dogged persistence. "In Virginia's high school and college days she had felt God’s call to work in the church. It was a call to make this world a better place in which to live, but 'Who would ordain a "handicapped" woman?”'" the writer of her nominating letter said. A year after Virginia graduated from college she became a student at Union Theological Seminary in New York, but not before her first application for admission was rejected. With the assistance of clergy and Union faculty who supported her, she was admitted as a full time B.D. (now M.Div.) student. Her speech difficulties were a problem. The professor of preaching at first saw no reason that she should take his course. Finally he relented and at the end of the course told Virginia, “You are a good preacher.” While at Union she received the unmistakable message God was saying to her, “ Stop questioning your call to ordination,” and so she did. After her graduation from Union Theological Seminary she was ordained (in another denomination) in 1952. She then found employment at the Nassau County (NY) Cerebral Palsy Center. Her hope of being a chaplain to the clients and their families was not the intent of the Center. It had employed her to be a role model of what a person with CP can accomplish. Virginia was not at all satisfied just to be a role model and, as a consequence, started a Masters degree program in social work, receiving her degree in 1960. She became a staff social worker at the Center, working there until 1984. In 1967 she began attending Garden City Community Church, a UCC congregation, becoming a UCC member in 1971. Then she began a long process of being ordained in the UCC. She suggested to the Association Committee on Ordination and Standing the beginning of a committee for persons with disabilities called handicapped / physically challenged. She became the chairperson of the new committee. Over the next five years that committee tried to get the UCC in New York involved in this advocacy work. Nothing happened until a committee member suggested writing a resolution on persons with disabilities and presenting it to the New York Conference meeting in 1976. The resolution was passed and the next year was taken to General Synod. This resolution, ‘that the national church begin work with persons with disabilities,’ was passed but not before Virginia had to speak very persuasively, first, before a Synod committee and then, secondly, address the whole body of the 1977 General Synod. She spoke of how Jesus spent his ministry teaching, preaching and healing, incorporating all three in his ministry. In response, not only did General Synod pass the resolution, but ministry to and with persons with disabilities became one of that Synod’s top priorities. The persons with disabilities resolution was assigned to the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries (UCBHM), Division of Health and Welfare to be carried out. The previously mentioned 1977 resolution opened up a one day a week consulting position. The position was offered to Virginia and she accepted with vigor, though it took awhile to negotiate this change with the Department of Social Services at the United Cerebral Palsy Center. With Virginia as the Consultant for persons with disabilities, she worked with churches struggling to educate them about the needs of persons with disabilities, particularly focusing on what they should be doing to make their church buildings accessible and welcoming to all including persons with disabilities. A questionnaire was developed and mailed to all churches in the United Church of Christ. The response showed that fewer than 10% of our churches were physically accessible and in some cases they, too, had problems. She traveled over the country preaching, teaching, and giving workshops to help people understand the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of welcoming persons with disabilities. Due to Virginia's dedicated, persistent work, additional resolutions were passed affirming full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the church in the next three General Synods. At General Synod 14, accessible churches were recognized. At GS16 a resolution was passed which advocated for the (a) full participation of persons with disabilities in the life of the church and in society and (b) directed the Pension Board to develop insurance coverage for employees at the time of onset of a disability. All were significant changes, changes attributable to Virginia’s leadership. Texts of all UCC Disabilities Ministries and Mental Illness Ministries can be found on www.uccdm.org. In 1991 she attended the Consultation on the Disabled in preparation of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and then served as a UCC delegate to the World Council, working on issues of disability rights. She continued her advocacy work until 1995 when she retired. Also, at this time, she became a member of the National Council of Churches of Christ (NCCC) Committee of the Disabled, and then a member of the Board of Directors, 1977-1995. Committed to advocating for persons with disabilities in the National Councl, she was a highly effective advocate. Concurrently, Virginia was asked to serve as a representative of and for persons with disabilities in 1979 in what became the UCC Coordinating Center for Women. She frequently led the Holy Communion service for the agency. Virginia lived in Garden City, NY, and was a member of Garden City Community Church, her home throughout all her years of service to the UCC and persons with disabilities. In 2002 she moved to a Williamsburg, VA, retirement community where she now lives.

Author: ALBERT A. HERZOG, JR. This synposis was prepared by David E. Denham. Since its inception as a union between the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1957, the United Church of Christ has been a leading American denomination which seeks to be faithful to its Christian heritage by making faith its own in each generation. In its location within contemporary society, the United Church of Christ has sought to maintain dialogue with the major issues of the day. The movement within the United Church of Christ to integrate persons with physical, developmental and emotional impairments into its life and into society is borne out the conviction that both are necessary for the denomination to be an effective witness to all people. The UCC is one of several mainline Protestant denominations, which in the late 1970’s, embraced a national movement which was to have profound impact on American society. The gradual movement of disabilities into the mainstream resulted in giving voice to persons with disabilities who emerged as challengers to virtually every aspect of social life impacting upon them. The culmination of this movement came when President Geroge H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. Two ordained clergy would bring leadership to the disability movement within the UCC, Harold H. Wilke and Virginia Kreyer. Born with no arms, Wilke was the founder and director of the Healing Community, graduate of many distinguished schools of higher education, chaplain, administrator, and pastor. The Healing Community is an inter-faith religious organization assisting congregations to welcome those who had been alienated by religious groups, including (but not exclusively), persons with disabilities. The second ordained person, who brought profound leadership to the disability movement within the UCC was Virginia Kreyer. Born with cerebral palsy, Kreyer was ordained in the American Baptist Church. She served several years as a member of the professional staff to the local affiliate of the United Cerebral Palsy Association. After some time, she left her American Baptist congregation and joined the local UCC. Kreyer approached the Metropolitan Association requesting to have her credentials recognized. The officials were interested but required the Ms. Kreyer have a ministry to which she could be assigned. Subsequently, the Association suggested she assume the responsibility of providing leadership for the Task Force on Exceptional People which she was ultimately to initiate and direct. In 1976, this Task Force decided to present a resolution to the New York Conference. The resolution arrived late and was not considered until its last session. During discussion, a visitor from Japan arose to note that he had traveled across the United Stated and had not seen one person with a disability. In response, Ms. Kreyer took the floor and gave an impassioned speech in support of the resolution. The Conference responded by passing it unanimously and referred it to the next General Synod. On Monday, July 4, 1977, the Eleventh General Synod adopted the resolution entitled “The Church and the Handicapped.” Both Kreyer and Wilke gave speeches in favor of the action. To implement this General Synod resolution, an Advisory Committee on the Church and the Handicapped was formed. Harold Wilke, the first chairperson, called the inaugural meeting to order March 8, 1978. Virginia Kreyer had already been named the paid consultant to support this ministry. This body emerged through name changes to the committee, structural changes within the committee, and restructure of the wider church to be known today as the UCC Disabilities Ministries (UCC DM), and to be a fully recognized voting member of the Executive Council. The UCC DM is located in Local Church Ministries. Up to nine persons may serve on the UCC DM. In 1992, this committee supported the development of the Mental Illness Network (MIN). In 1995, Virginia Kreyer retired. In 1996, David Denham assumed the role of consultant. Like Kreyer, Denham had developed a Task Force on disability issues in the Central Atlantic Conference. Denham also had served as chairperson of the National Committee on Persons with Disabilities. The UCC DM has representation on the National Council of Churches Committee on Disabilities. The UCC DM and MIN are shaped today by three primary General Synod resolutions and other key initiatives:

1995

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